University of Ibadan Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka has called on all stakeholders in education sector to work together with a view to improving the quality of education in the country, saying the burden of education is heavy due to dwindling economy.
Prof. Olayinka who spoke at the University of Ibadan-Private Secondary Schools Summit held in UI noted that if the quality of education must improve, it is imperative for all the stakeholders in education sector to function in synergy, stating that this was one of the reasons UI organized the summit.
According to Prof. Olayinka whose speech was delivered by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships (RISP), Prof. Olanike Adeyemo, “it is not an overstatement that education is for changes in all its ramifications . In this dispensation, the only sustainable change is the change that changes the minds of the teeming population of young people. The University of Ibadan’s passion to move education forward and beyond the 21st century in Nigeria has generally informed this summit”
The UI through the office of the RISP had invited some notable proprietors and proprietress of private secondary schools in Ibadan for a summit towards working for the enhancement of quality of education.
The VC recalled that “this is not the first effort of the university in partnering with the community in the spirit of town and gown. It is on record the pivotal role of the university in training teachers for the immediate community and the entire nation, adding that UI , through its appropriate arms, has been providing advisory services to educational institutions in different areas as well ”
His words: “our gathering here today is a renewed effort at partnering with the proprietors of private secondary schools to change the educational landscape of our community and indeed that of the nation”
Prof. Olayinka remarked that the burden of education was heavy particularly in Nigeria due to dwindling economy and increasing population among other factors, pointing out that government alone could not bear the burden as active participation of the private sector in education is increasingly glaring.
In her welcome address, the DVC, RISP, Prof Adeyemo noted that the students from secondary schools were the raw materials for the universities wondering why many of those who passed Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) failed UI’s test.
According to her, “the broad aim of secondary education is the preparation of youths for useful living and for higher education, stressing that secondary education should equip students to live effectively in the modern age of science and technology; as well as raise a generation of people who can think for themselves”
The summit later dovetailed into a focused group discussion where various challenges confronting secondary education were discussed.
